Preliminary hearing scheduled for Routt County woman accused of killing son

Steamboat Springs  A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Denver for the Routt County woman who is accused of killing her 9-year-old son before attempting suicide May 29.

Lisa Lesyshen appeared in Routt County Court on Friday via telephone from the Denver County Jail infirmary. She was moved there from Denver Health Medical Center, but she still requires medical care that is keeping her from being transferred to the Routt County Jail.

“At this point, we are not consenting to hold any hearing in Denver court,” Troxell said. “Ms. Lesyshen, to be clear, would like to be in Routt County. She has no desire to be in Denver.”

The one-day hearing either will be held in a courtroom at the Denver County Jail or across the street at the Denver County Courthouse.

“I do want to be absolutely certain that the public can attend that hearing,” O’Hara said.

The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to decide whether sufficient evidence exists to have the case go to trial.

District Attorney Brett Barkey also attended Friday’s hearing via phone. Earlier in the day, Barkey toured the facility where Lesyshen is being held. He said Lesyshen is paraplegic, a condition that was caused by shooting herself in the neck during a suicide attempt. She has no use of her legs, some use of her arms and is able to get in and out of bed on her own.

“Ms. Lesyshen is the way she is going to be,” Barkey said.

Barkey said it is costing Routt County taxpayers $586 per day to house Lesyshen at the Denver County Jail but said it is the best option at this point.

The Routt County Jail is not equipped to house Lesyshen, Barkey said. Staff would have to be hired and equipment would need to be rented if the jail were to take her in. Barkey said estimates are it would cost $20,000 to $40,000 to house Lesyshen at the Routt County Jail for three or four weeks during a trial.

A trial likely would need to be held in Routt County with a Routt County jury pool unless there is a formal decision to change the venue.

Lesyshen has been charged with first-degree murder related to domestic violence and child abuse resulting in death. She does not have the option to post bail.

Investigators said that after shooting and killing her son, Asher Lesyshen-Kirlan, Lesyshen shot herself. According to court documents, Lesyshen and her husband Michael Kirlan were separating, and Lesyshen had learned Kirlan was seeing another woman.

Lesyshen and Kirlan still were living together at their Stagecoach home at the time of the shootings.

Well, one could make an argument that releasing her would be the most severe punishment. Then she she has to pay for her medical care.at least until she has no money. The cruelest decision would be to drop the charges until she is well enough to leave the nursing home.

You know your "justice" system of completely wussified beyond redemption when a serious argument can be made that releasing a child murderer is the best punishment.

You also know your healthcare system is equally messed up when it's considered harsher punishment to turn someone lose to fend for themselves in IT rather than in prison.

The fact that a known and obviously guilty as hell child murderer is going to live off the hard labor of productive citizens is, alone, a valid argument for the death penalty. Anyone who would protect this monster from the death penalty does so at the expense of the diminishingly upstanding and rational portion of society.